Toprak Razgatlioglu has enjoyed a great relationship with Yamaha throughout his career, but he has admitted that he had less faith in the team than his manager when he first joined.
The Turkish rider moved to Yamaha from Kawasaki in World Superbikes in 2020. His first season was tough, by his own admission, despite winning three races and finishing fourth, but he would become world champion the following year.
Razgatlioglu finished runner-up in 2022 and 2023 before winning back-to-back titles with BMW in 2024 and 2025. In 2026, he has made the switch to MotoGP, returning to Yamaha with Pramac.
What grade would you give Toprak Razgatlioglu after the first half of his rookie season?
Kenan Sofuoglu had more belief in Yamaha than Toprak Razgatlioglu when he first signed
The three-time WSBK champion’s move to the premier class was met with excitement, but also some scepticism. Neil Hodgson felt Razgatlioglu had joined the ‘wrong manufacturer’, as Yamaha have been glued to the back of the grid for years and have been far behind in development.
Indeed, it has been a struggle for the Turkish rider, scoring just 12 points thus far in 2026. Razgatlioglu is getting ‘destroyed’ by the Michelin tyres, as he struggles to transition from the Pirelli tyre in WSBK.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Toprak Razgatlioglu from net worth to nickname
Nevertheless, Razgatlioglu appears confident in Yamaha, but, as he admitted on the Yamaha Motor Europe YouTube channel, his manager, Kenan Sofuoglu, believed in the team more when they first signed with them.
He explained: “Kenan is also my manager, but also, we are like brothers. When I moved to Yamaha, he believed more than me in Yamaha.
“Because Yamaha was a good bike, and he said, ‘OK, it’s better we go to Yamaha and we try to make history.’
What could Toprak Razgatlioglu do on a Ducati bike right now?
He played down Iker Lecuona's impressive performance for Gresini in Hungary
“But I believe him, I trust him. I did incredible years with the Yamaha guy, I [was] really enjoying that. Only the 2020, for me, is not [an] easy year, but 2021 we did [an] incredible job.
“But I’m just saying thanks to Kenan, because I’m always listening [to] him. He’s never pushing me; he’s just explaining, because he’s more experienced than me, and yeah, I’m very happy to [be] working with Yamaha.”
The Iwata outfit are still miles behind the rest of the field, and the future may not be too bright for the team. Yamaha are not hopeful about 2027, meaning Razgatlioglu may have to wait until 2028 to have a competitive bike.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
